Exploration & Drilling
Program design, drilling campaign management, QA/QC, geological interpretation and resource definition — from grassroots targeting to maiden resource.
GTS-W1 Advisory · Perth, Western Australia
Specialist advisory and project delivery for the resources sector
Exploration, project development, operational execution and technical-commercial decision support — across Australia and international markets.
- JORC Competent Persons
- NI 43-101 Qualified Persons
- 6 principals
- 180+ combined years
- 4 continents
Who we are
Strategic capability, delivered in the field
GTS-W1 provides specialist advisory and project delivery services to the resources sector, with a strong focus on exploration, project development, operational execution and technical-commercial decision support across Australia and international markets.
Our team combines strategic capability with practical field execution experience, integrating directly with client project teams to deliver pragmatic, outcome-focused solutions — whether remotely or on site, including in remote and technically challenging jurisdictions.
We prioritise safety, efficiency, data quality and value creation, ensuring programs are delivered to a high standard while maintaining schedule discipline, operational control and commercial accountability.
Where we operate
Australia
Strong safety and environmental regimes; deep mining services ecosystem.
Central & South-East Asia
Transitioning regulatory frameworks; significant base and precious metals endowment.
Africa
Diverse jurisdictions; logistics and power reliability are key value levers.
Latin America
World-class resources with nuanced permitting across federal, state and local levels.
What we do
Engaged across the full project cycle
From first-pass targeting through resource definition, study, financing and operating performance.
Technical Due Diligence
Independent technical review of geology, mining, processing and infrastructure to de-risk transactions and capital allocation.
Regulatory Strategy & Permitting
Practical navigation of mining codes, environmental approvals, local content and community agreements across jurisdictions.
Transaction Structuring
Aligned economic frameworks for JV, offtake, royalties, debt and equity financing, and performance incentives.
Operational Optimisation
Targeted intervention in mine planning, ventilation, geotechnical and fixed/mobile plant to unlock margin and mine life.
How we engage
Fixed-scope review, embedded support or an ongoing advisory retainer — scoped to match the program.
Our team
Senior people, on your project
GTS-W1 is founder-led and principal-led. The people who scope your program are the people who run it, and each of them carries a professional sign-off that public markets and financiers accept.
Founder & Principal
John Nolan
Mining advisor and project leader across underground nickel and cross-border transactions; founder of GTS-W1, with PFS workstreams, stope optimisation and rehabilitation programs in Western Australia.
Principal
Mark Gillie
35+ years in global mining across project development, operational leadership and drilling program oversight in Australia, Africa and international jurisdictions.
Principal & Subject Matter Expert
Kerry Griffin
Mining geologist and lithium SME, 30+ years across Australia, Africa, South America and Asia; JORC Competent Person and NI 43-101 Qualified Person.
Principal Geologist
Melanie Hickman
Mining and exploration geologist with 15+ years across nickel, gold, tungsten-molybdenum and porphyry copper-gold; part of the team that discovered the Boomerang Kaolin Deposit.
Principal Consultant
Matthew Wheeler
30+ years in exploration and mining geology, gold and uranium focus; JORC Competent Person and NI 43-101 Qualified Person.
Exploration Manager
Grant Donne
Exploration geologist with lithium, gold and base metal experience across the Yilgarn and East Pilbara, including the Mt Holland district; member of the AIG.
Together, the team carries 180+ years of combined field, study and operational experience across four continents.
How we work
Five steps, applied with the same discipline
Whether the program is a desk-based review or a 10,000 m drill campaign in a remote jurisdiction.
1
Discover
Define objectives, constraints and success criteria with the people who will own the outcome.
2
Diagnose
Validate the data, ground-truth the assumptions and isolate the real value drivers and risks.
3
Design
Develop options with quantified trade-offs, cost and schedule implications, and an implementation plan.
4
Deliver
Execute with your team and local partners, with schedule, safety and data quality tracked as they happen.
5
Debrief
Capture the lessons, hand over a clean dataset and asset record, and agree the next actions.
Our principles
What we hold ourselves to
Technical depth
We prioritise first-principles thinking and transparent assumptions over glossy narratives.
Regulatory fluency
We work with regulators and communities to achieve approvals that endure.
Aligned economics
We structure incentives so every party benefits when the asset performs.
Field discipline
Safety, schedule control and data quality are managed on the ground, not reported after the fact.
Start with a technical conversation
No pitch deck, no fee proposal on the first call. Bring us the problem as it actually stands, including the parts you are unsure about, and we will tell you plainly what we would do, what it would cost and where the risk sits.